Russian Journalists Murdered in Central African Republic

According to information received from the Central African Republic on July 30, three people were killed near the city of Sibut (300 km north of the capital of the CAR, Bangui),carrying only journalistic documents.

The Russian Foreign Ministry identified those killed in the Central African Republic, specifying that the documents found at the site show that they were Russian journalist Orkhan Dzhemal, cameraman Kirill Radchenko and producer Alexander Rastorguyev.

According to the ministry, the Russian embassy in the Central African Republic was not informed about the presence of the Russian journalists in the country. The UN Mission in the Central African Republic confirmed in a statement that three bodies had been found in a bullet-ridden car.

AFP news agency reported citing sources close to the investigation, that the bodies of Russian citizens with press cards have been found on a road 23 km (14 miles) from the central town of Sibut.

After gaining so-called independence from France in 1960, the Central African Republic was ruled by a series of autocratic capitalist supported leaders. Clashes between Muslim and Christian groups have been ongoing in the CAR since 2015.

The war thorn Central African country current borders were established by France, which ruled the country as a colony starting in the late 19th century.

Despite its significant mineral deposits and other resources, such as uranium reserves, crude oil, gold, diamonds, cobalt, lumber, and hydro-power, as well as significant quantities of arable land, the Central African Republic is among the ten poorest countries in the world.